Power Clean
The power clean is an explosive barbell lift in which you pull the bar from the floor and catch it on the front of your shoulders in a partial squat, above parallel. It works the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, traps and back through a powerful, jump-like extension of the hips, knees and ankles, and is one of the most widely used lifts for developing athletic power.
Also called: Clean, Barbell Power Clean, Clean to Power Position · Equipment: barbell · Pattern: compound
Step by step
- Stand with the bar over the middle of your feet, feet about hip-width apart. Grip the bar just outside your shins with an overhand or hook grip.
- Set your start: hips a little higher than your knees, shoulders slightly in front of the bar, arms straight and back flat. Brace your trunk.
- Push the floor away to lift the bar, keeping it close to your shins and your back angle the same until the bar passes your knees.
- As the bar reaches mid-thigh, jump explosively by driving your hips forward and straightening your knees and ankles, then shrug hard with your arms still straight.
- Pull yourself under the bar, whipping your elbows around and forward so the bar lands on the front of your shoulders.
- Catch the bar in a firm partial squat above parallel, feet landing slightly wider and elbows high, then stand up tall.
- Return the bar to the floor under control (or drop it on bumper plates where allowed) and reset your start before the next rep.
- Push the floor away off the start
- Bar close to your legs the whole way
- Jump hard, then shrug
- Elbows whip around fast and high
- Catch high, above parallel
- Brace before the bar leaves the floor
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Gluteus maximus | Prime mover | C |
| Trapezius: upper | Prime mover | C |
| Hamstrings: biceps femoris (long head) | Prime mover | C |
| Quadriceps | Secondary | C |
| Trapezius: middle | Secondary | C |
| Gastrocnemius: medial/lateral head | Secondary | C |
| Erector spinae | Stabiliser | C |
| Forearm flexors | Stabiliser | C |
| Anterior deltoid: anterior | Stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Bending the arms early
Fix: Keep your arms straight until your hips, knees and ankles have fully extended.
Bar swinging away from the body
Fix: Keep the bar brushing your thighs and drive your hips into it.
Back rounding off the floor
Fix: Brace before the lift and hold your back angle until the bar passes your knees.
Slow elbows in the catch
Fix: Whip your elbows around fast so the bar lands on the front of your shoulders.
Catch collapsing below parallel
Fix: Land with feet slightly wider, knees out, and meet the bar in a firm partial squat.
Pulling too early from the floor
Fix: Push the floor away smoothly and save the explosive jump for mid-thigh.
What the research says
Power · first choiceSport performance · first choiceStrengthFat loss & conditioning
- Load for power — In one study, peak power in the power clean was highest at about 80% of the lifter's one-rep max, a heavier optimum than for the squat or the jump squat.
- Jump performance — A meta-analysis found weightlifting training improved vertical jump more than traditional resistance training, and about as much as plyometric training.
- Starting position — At the same load, variations starting from mid-thigh produced higher peak force, rate of force development and power than the power clean from the floor.
- Intent — Training research finds that trying to move explosively on every rep is a key driver of speed-specific gains, even when the bar moves slowly.
- Set length — In a squat study, ending sets once bar speed had dropped by 20% gave similar or greater strength gains than 40%, with about a third fewer reps. Many coaches keep power clean sets to a few crisp reps.
- Strength base — A review of power training describes maximal strength as the base for power, with explosive and weightlifting work becoming more important as lifters get stronger.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the power clean in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.